Should I Worry About Superbugs?

Every week, the Scoop examines alarming new claims to help you make sense of the latest health research.

It might sound like the plot of a science fiction movie, but drug-resistant “superbugs” are on the rise, according to a recent statement from the Centers for Disease Control. These powerful germs are called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, and, while no specific statistics are available, the CDC has noted that they’re spreading through hospitals and nursing homes across the U.S., especially in the Northeast.

In fact, the director of the CDC went so far as to call them a “nightmare” and a triple threat since they’re resistant to almost all antibiotics, they have very high mortality rates, and they can spread their drug resistance to other more common bacteria (like E. coli). Yikes!

But you don’t need to grab a medical mask and lock yourself indoors just yet. Right now, the cases are contained to hospitals, nursing homes, and in patients who already have a compromised immune system. “We know at this point that CRE doesn’t thrive in healthy people,” says Rosa Herrera, health communication specialist at the CDC. Though the germs are spread by person-to-person contact, it’s very unlikely that they would cause an infection in an otherwise healthy individual (even if you’re visiting a loved one at the hospital or nursing home or are a short-term patient).

That said, if you happen to go to the hospital, make sure to ask any doctor or nurse who touches you to wash their hands, says Herrera. It sounds like a simple request, but it’s currently the best defense to stop the spread of CRE. It’s also a good idea to request that any IVs or catheters not be left in any longer than necessary since these can be portals for bacteria, says Priya Sampathkumar, MD, of the department of infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic.

In the long run, it’s also crucial to be smart about antibiotics. Only take them when absolutely necessary and only as directed by your physician, says Herrera. That means no demanding an Rx for a run-of-the-mill virus and not stopping your prescription halfway through your pills. “Antibiotics destroy the bad bacteria that they’re supposed to, but they also upset the good bacteria,” says Herrera. So when you’re taking them, you can actually become susceptible to other infections.

The verdict: Superbugs are a major health issue, but it’s very unlikely that you’ll be infected unless you’re hospitalized and have a compromised immune system. However, you can help stop the spread of CRE by washing your hands (diligently!) and making sure to use antibiotics properly.

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